Adjustable hanger for chime elements



A. W. GARDES ADJUSTABLE HANGER FOR CHIME ELEMENTS April 5, 1949.

Filed Dec. 16, 1946 'INVENTOR..

Patented Apr. 5, 1949 ADJUSTABLE HANGER FOR CHIIVIE ELEMENTS Alfred W. Gardes, Evanston, Ill., assignor to Nutone, Incorporated, Chicago, 11]., a corporation of New York Application December 16, 1946, Serial No. 716,518

2 Claims.

This invention relates to chime and signal instruments adapted to produce sounds of musical or pleasing quality through vibration of one or more slender, elongated tubular chime elements.

In an apparatus of this type, the tubular chime element usually is suspended by means of a string or cord from a suitable hanger and the sound is produced by striking the tubular element with a hammer or electromagnetic device. The best, most pleasing tones are obtained when the chime tube is hung properly and when the tube is struck a blow of the proper force and impact. However, in commercial methods of production of such units, the electromagnetic solenoids will vary somewhat as to force and velocity of response when energized, and considerable variation will occur in the voltage available in residences. These variations will cause corresponding variations in the tonal qualities of chime units which are otherwise identical. The present invention contemplates a simple, inexpensive hanger for a tubular chime element which is conveniently adjustable such that the spacing of the tubular chime element may be positioned with respect to the striker whereby the tone, or more particularly the intensity of the tone, may be varied as desired. In this manner, the chime manufacturer is enabled to adjust the instrument conveniently before it leaves the plant, to a uniform tonal quality for a given voltage, or the user of the instrument may conveniently modify the tone so as to make it loud or soft, depending upon his desires.

Briefly, the structure of this invention which provides these facilities consists, essentially, of a hanger arm, from which the tubular chime may be suspended by a cord or the like in the usual manner, and a screw device for moving the hanger toward or from the striking mechanism. In the preferred construction, for purposes of simplicity and inexpensiveness, the hanger comprises a yieldable piece of sheet metal struck from or attached to the base plate of the chime assembly, and the screw employed is adjustable to bend the hanger toward or from the striker unit. In this manner, the hanger arm, which may be bent so as to extend laterally from the base piece, as manufactured, may be angulated from perpendicular position one way or the other such that the point thereof from which the chime tube is suspended i moves relatively toward or from the striker depending on the extent and direction of screw adjustment. Should the tone, as set at the factory, be too loud because of some peculiarity incidental to the particular solenoid, or, more likely, be-

2 cause of increased voltage applied to the solenoid, then, by simple adjustment of the screw, the chime tube may be moved away from the solenoid striker to reduce the tone volume, or vice versa.

Other objectives and further features of the invention are disclosed in the following detailed description of the drawings in which a preferred embodiment of the invention is illustrated in the drawings.

Figure l is an elevational view of a base plate equipped with a solenoid and with the tube hanger in accordance with this invention.

Figure 2 is a sectional view takenon the line 22 of Figure 1 showing the several positions of adjustment in which the chime tube may be mounted.

Figure 3 is a sectional elevation taken on the line 33 of Figure 1.

The bracket or wall plate of the apparatus may be of any suitable type and'is shown somewhat schematically in the drawings. Wall plates of this type usually are thin sheet metal pieces having marginal flanges (not shown) byv which the plates are made rigid and also by which the central plate area is spaced from the wall such that screw heads and the like may be suitably recessed.

For the purposes of the present description, the striker 2, as shown, is of conventional construction comprising, an electromagnetic solenoid coil 3 having its endwise portions mounted upon footed brackets 4, an armature 5 which is slidable within the solenoid coil, and a return spring 6 which may interconnect the armature with the coil or bracket support therefor. Energization of the coil through leads 1-! causes the armature to be magnetically propelled, against the bias of spring 6, whereby it is thrust forward to exert a blow or impact on the chime tube. After energization, the spring 6 retracts the solenoid armature to the position in which it is shown in Figure 1. To avoid metallic tones, the forward or striking end of the armature is usually equipped with leather, reed or plastic tip. In place of the striking apparatus shown, other types of strikers, including those operated manually or mechanically, may be utilized since the advantages provided by the present invention are common to the units of these various types.

The tubular chime element is indicated in the drawings generally at 8, and it is in the form of a thin-walled, elongated, vibratable tube having a suspension cord 9 passed through suitable bores 3 at its upper end such that the tube may be suspended without dampening.

The suspension arm utilized in accordance with this invention is indicated at I and is seen in elevation in Fig. 3. This arm is struck laterally from the metal of the base piece I and its upper edge at the outer end has a notch l2 within which tthe cord :9 is seated, the .:.'dimensions being such-that thern'otch is in substantiallyvertical alignment with the axis of the striker so that the striker may deliver a blow upon the tubular chime with substantial tendency-:to-glance therefrom.

In the construction shown, the position of hanger arm I0 is adjustedby'a screw'device l3 which is carried threadeclly in an "arm 'l'4, the latter being more rigid than hanger arm Ill. Arm l4 may be in the form of an'angle'piecefastened to the base piece I as by means of a'-rivet [5 or the arm l4 may also be bent from the metal of .the base ,piece, but.in this :event it :issuitably reinforced so-that i-t willlbe :relativelyt stiffeinthan the arm 14. Thescrew-isactuated by.a knurled or slotted-head wand-its opposite end is-necked to be received in operative connection with the .hanger .arm .l.0, so .as to move the hanger "arm therewith'as (the screw advances or.retractsiaxdaily when .it ,is rotated. The "neck ,portion A] of the .screw ifor this .purpose, .is received within a slot 18 having an entrance aperture Ll9.near the baseof-thebracketdfi. -For.purposes of assemblyrofthe device shown, it 'isconvenient to introduce .the screw into its threaded aperture in thebracket 4 and then introduce the neck portion of the "screw through the entrance .l9 and liritotthe slot l8, and 'fin'a'llyrivet'thebracket in'place. The'provision 'of the entrance aperture I9 at the base of the arm l0 makes'therarm more bendable.

Th dot and dash lines in Figure 2"show'a'con- -dition of 'adjustment'in-which the tubular chime resides closelyadjacent'the striker for delivery thereto of :ablow or-substantial power andrimpact. On theotherT'hand the solidlinesinFigure z' show the'position of the tubular chime wherein itiismemovedfrom the-striker andthereforepositio'ned to receive only a relatively light blow. It is to be noticed that the path of travel "of "the point of suspension of the chime, obtainedby bending or moving the arm I0, is an arc of only slight curvature which does not prevent the tube from receiving a blow squarely from the striker.

Having described my invention, I claim:

1. A mounting for a tubular chime which comprises a bracket formed of sheet metal, a yleldable hanger formed from a portion of said bracket and extendingioutwardly therefrom,:one-edge of said hanger beingiintegralwithssaidbracket to form a hinge between said hanger and said bracket, :said hanger being equipped with a slot having an --enlarged section adjacent to said bracket, means for hanging a chime from said hanger, a rigid brace extending outwardly from said bracket'andrspacedhorizontally from said hanger, anda bolt threaded to an opening in said hanger, said bolt being equipped with a circular key-su'flicientlysmall to fit through the enlarged ;por.tion of said slot and sufliciently large to be keyed within said slot, said key being located in said slot, whereby rotation of said boltoperates to .turn, said hanger about said hinge ,and swing said chime-toward and. aw-aylfrom a chime. strikingielemenh said bolt being constructed and arranged tolimitthe are through whichsaidlhanger vcanturn to substantially 30 degrees.

.2. A mountingior a chime-elementiwhich comprises -a baseplate, a hanger :bracket extending :laterally from ntheibaseplate, a-bracket adjacent ,said hanger and Ya screw .threadedly supported by .said bracket and rotatably engaging .said hanger, .the l said bracket being relatively .stifier against bending than said hanger whereby ,ro- -tation-.of :said screw: effects relative. bendingv mover iment of said hangerifor adjustment of th posiztiOl'l "thereof ALFRED W. (GARDES.

JREFERENCES 'CITED i-The :following references are :of record in \the -file "of :this ;patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS :Number Name Date 15,835,901 Rodetret a] Decnfl, 1931 245,453 -Warren June710y1941 23473641 Pearl -July 1, 1941 2,263,051 'Rittenhouseet al. -Nov. 18,;1941 

